Julia S. Johansen

I am a clinician-scientists with a long interested in patients with pancreatic cancer and a track record of both national and international collaborations. I am Professor in Translational Medicine at The Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Senior Consultant at Departments of Oncology and Medicine, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospitals, Denmark. I am a well-established, senior clinician/scientist with a sustained track record of high-impact novel biomarker discovery in both cancer and inflammatory diseases. In the course of my work I have developed expertise and substantial resources for establishing well-annotated biobanks and specimen repositories, e.g. the Danish BIOPAC biobank and database (with blood and tissue samples from > 2000 with pancreatic cancer). With respect to cancer in particular, I discovered the novel tumor marker YKL-40/CHI3L1. Moreover, I have pioneered work in YKL-40 as a target for cancer therapy. My work has recently included the use of microRNAs as biomarkers of pancreatic, colorectal, and bile duct cancer. In addition to biomarkers of disease, I have sought biomarkers of response to therapy, including to novel biological agents such as antibodies. My work has also included health-related quality of life and biomarkers including inflammation. I have trained many young faculty and more junior trainees in clinical research and biomarker research. I have been continuously funded, including 9 large grants since 2012.